Georgia and Fort Benning is a national test site for Heroes at Home Department of Labor and Department of Defense Military Spouse initiative through Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) available to spouses of active duty military personnel at the base. Georgia received $2,296,638 for the Career Advancement Accounts.

Grant recipients will be able to access up to $6,000 over a two year period in funds to complete post-secondary education at any of Georgia's two year community and technical colleges. These individual grants may also be used for training that will lead to a state-approved credential, such as an approved certificate from a continuing education program or approved private service provider.

CCAs will be administered by the Governor's Office of Workforce Development in partnership with Fort Benning, Georgia Department of Labor and Local Workforce Investment Board Lower Chattahoochee Workforce Investment Board Region 14 and the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

For an active duty military spouse to be eligible he or she must be a high school graduate or hold a GED. They may have some college credit but may not currently have an associates, bachelors or advanced degree. Accounts may be used for post-secondary tuition and training to directly fund tuition, fees and textbooks. Only spouses of (Enlisted) E1 through E5 and (Officer) O1 through O3 levels are eligible for the program.

Military spouses suffer an unemployment rate that is three times that of their civilian counterparts, while nearly 77 percent of them report that they want or need to work. The frequent moves required by the military often make it difficult or even cost-prohibitive for spouses to establish long-term careers or meet state credentialing and licensing requirements. Almost three-fourths of military spouses say the cost of continuing their education is more than they can afford.

The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative was created to help spouses overcome some of these financial barriers. The funding will make it possible for eligible candidates to receive Career Advancement Accounts in the amount of $3,000 for one year, and renewable a second year for an additional $3,000. This money can be used to pay for expenses directly related to postsecondary education and training, including tuition, books, necessary equipment, and credentialing and licensing fees in nationally identified high-growth, portable career fields such as education, health care, information technology, construction trades and financial services.

Due to their frequent moves, military spouses need access to education and training for careers that are portable and high-growth nationally. Therefore, accounts awarded under the demonstration will be targeted to nationally identified high-demand industry sectors that provide the greatest opportunity for career portability.
Military spouses may use their Career Advancement Account to receive education or training in one of these fields: Healthcare (for jobs such as nurses, dental hygienists, and pharmacy technicians); Information technology (for jobs such as network analysts and database administrators); Education (for jobs such as teachers and teacher's assistants); Financial services (for jobs such as claims adjusters, credit analysts and bank tellers); and Construction/skilled trades (for jobs such as carpenters and electricians).

Military spouses may apply at the installations' Voluntary Education Centers. The demonstration states and installations are: California (San Diego Metro and Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base) Colorado (Fort Carson Army Installation and Peterson Air Force Base) Florida (Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Eglin Air Force Base, and Hurlburt Field) Georgia (Fort Benning Army Installation) Hawaii (Hickam Air Force Base, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base, and Schofield Barracks Army Installation) Maine (Naval Air Station Brunswick) North Carolina (Fort Bragg Army Installation and Pope Air Force Base) Washington (Fort Lewis Army Installation, McChord Air Force Base, and Naval Station Kitsap).

Additional information including eligibility determination, career and education counseling, and skills assessment will be available at each participating installation's Voluntary Education Center call (706) 545-7397 and/or Family Support Center, and online at www.MilSpouse.org.

Chattahoochee Scuba named Hometown Hero for November

Chattahoochee Scuba offers the most comprehensive dive training programs in the State of Georgia. The shop also offers dive travel to local, regional and exotic locations and provides Emergency First Response Training (CPR and First Aid) courses to both divers and non-divers and. is affiliated with PADI, the most recognized professional scuba diving organization in the world.

Joshua Blair, owner of Chattahoochee Scuba, wins Home Town Hero at the Power Lunch held Nov. 8.

Since its opening in May 2005, Chattahoochee Scuba has accomplished much; in addition to traveling to exotic locations, certifying hundreds of new divers, and becoming one of the top dive equipment retailers in the Southeast Region, the store has become a vital part of the diving community. PADI has designated Chattahoochee Scuba as a Five Star Instructor Development Center, the highest level possible for a dive store and has recognized Chattahoochee Scuba as the top new dive shop in the Southeast Region for 2006. Chattahoochee Scuba continues to be in the top 1% of all dive shops in the country for continuing education and in 2007 was nominated for the Dive Equipment Manufacturing Association's C.O.R.E. (Council On Retailing Excellence) award given to the top ten dive shops in the country.

The future will only continue to grow for Chattahoochee Scuba and its staff, beginning with the move to its new, and much larger, location. In the new building, Chattahoochee Scuba will expand its offerings to include swimming lessons in its new pool, Emergency First Response training to individuals, small business, and corporations, and expanded retail space. In addition to this growth and exciting future, Joshua and Chattahoochee Scuba will continue to provide excellent customer service and value to every customer that enters the store. Plus, there is still a lot of diving to do!

New at the November Power Lunch was the inauguration of Network Columbus a new way to help you network at Power Lunch.

In addition to PADI and retail gear associations, the store and its staff are involved in many other community efforts, such as Help the Hooch, Project Aware (aquatic environmental awareness), Relay for Life, Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and local law enforcement.

Joshua Blair learned to scuba dive when he was stationed at Ft. Benning as a Lieutenant. Since those first courses, he has been certified as a Course Director, the highest professional designation in the scuba diving industry. He has also become a Tec Deep Instructor Trainer, and DAN Instructor Trainer. In 2006, Blair won the PADI Master Scuba Diver Challenge for certifying the most Master Scuba Divers in the US. He is also the Team Leader for the Russell County Sheriff's Dive Team.

November Eye Opener Breakfast has several exciting elements

Dr. Elizabeth Martin, Winship Clinic, P.C., receives the Small Business Giant award for November.

Winship Clinic, P.C. was presented the Small Business Giant award at Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce Eye Opener Breakfast Nov. 15. The clinic has served families in Columbus since 2002.

Columbus Ballet performs elements of the Nutcracker at the November Eye Opener Breakfast.

Winship Clinic, P.C. employs a staff of 9 and serves over 3,500 active patients. The clinic is a leader in healthcare innovation, and has utilized both internet-based medical billing and internet-based electronic medical records since its inception in the medical field. The clinic has an in-house pharmacy for patient convenience that features generic drugs priced lower than most co-pays. It is located in Brookstone Centre and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The name Winship comes from Dr. Elizabeth Martin's maternal family name. Dr. Martin is the third generation of the Winship family to become a physician and is the current physician/owner of the Winship Clinic, P.C. Her great-grandfather, Herring Winship, Sr., was a doctor in Macon for many years and served as President of the Macon School Board. Winship School in Macon is named in his honor. Dr. Martin's aunt, Florence Wood Winship, also graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and was a physician in the Student Health Division of the University of Georgia.

Chamber members are getting to know each other through Speed Networking at Eye Opener Breakfast. This past passed program was introduced in the October Eye Opener Breakfast and came back for another repeat performance each member has 30 seconds to tell another member about themselves and their company before moving to the next person. This makes easy for members to meet new people at this event.

If you have not tried it you need to be at the next Eye Opener Breakfast Dec. 20.

With 2008 quickly approaching the Georgia Legislature will soon be in session. During the Legislative Session of 2008 the Chattahoochee Valley Region and your business has a great deal at stake!

The Georgia Legislature under the leadership of Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Senate Pro-tempore' Eric Johnson, & Speaker Glenn Richardson will debate and pass key legislation that impacts:

• Our State's Water Plan (a document that will manage Georgia's Water resources including the Chattahoochee)
• Georgia's Tax System (Speaker Glenn Richardson has proposed to modify Georgia's funding scheme going from a property tax system to a sales tax driven system)
• Air Quality (several cities in Georgia including Columbus are in danger of being designated as an Air-Non Attainment Region) We need the State and your business to support a campaign that changes consumer behavior as it relates to: a. the idling of vehicles by reducing vehicle emissions, b. fueling of vehicles-fueling during the cooler parts of the day (below 60 degrees), c. open burning- embracing a policy that incentivizes the recycling of leaves, branches, grass etc for mulch as opposed to burning which pollutes the air.
• BRAC support the delivery of resources for Transportation, Education and Healthcare as our Community experiences an influx of 33,000 people, and 11,000 new jobs by 2012 as a result of Ft. Benning's expansion.
• and many other issues

The Governmental Affairs Committee is the member group that follows each of these issues closely throughout the session- meeting quarterly and provided Legislative Updates by the Chamber's Governmental Affairs Team that includes Harold Bryant and Tom Wyatt.

If you would like to be apart of the upcoming excitement in 2008 please contact twyatt@columbusgachamber.com - our Lobbying efforts will be successful with the involvement of your Business!

The 2008 Legislative Agenda will be posted soon and made available to you via the internet and through direct.

Did you know the Greater Columbus, Georgia Chamber of Commerce offers exciting volunteer opportunities??? We have a variety of committees to benefit from your talents and expertise. Your involvement provides the opportunity to contribute input into the continued progress and growth of our region. Won't you join us??? We could really use a hand!

Business Expo Committee - The mission of the Business Expo Committee is to organize an event to bring together area businesses and organizations to show off their products and services to our region.

Electronic Commerce/Information Technology Committee (ECIT) - The mission of the ECIT Committee is to provide Chamber members with a competitive edge by helping them incorporate technology in their growing businesses, thus creating more jobs and capital investment.

Public Relations Committee (PR) - The mission of the Public Relations Committee is to review and develop ideas on content and presentation of the Chamber's message that is distributed to the many audiences of the organization. The committee also developed concepts used in the 2001 and subsequent issues of the Greater Columbus and Phenix City - Russell County Chambers of Commerce Membership Directories.

Click on the following link to review other Chamber committees and/or to sign up! Volunteer Opportunities

Chamber home page . . . click here